The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-13
THE CHAMPION DEADHEAD.
His Thrilling Experience on the Penn.
Sylvania
From, the San Francisco Chronicle.

Sylvan1a.
From the San Francisco Chronicle.
Joseph Keppler, who halls from Chicago,
and lays claim TO the title of champion
deadhead, is now in the city. He has made
dead-heading science, and boasts of hay
ing travelled over 10000 miles on railroads
without having paid a cent of fare.
Keppler stood in front of a Third street
saloon yesterday, chewing the barren end
of a match, when reporter engaged HIM
in conversation. .....--.
How did come here y he said, in an
swer to a question. ION the cars, of
course" and if as anticipating the next
query, he added: without paying a cent
either. I've deadheaded it all over this
country. Been from Maine to San Fran
cisco four times in as many years. No,
don't always get through as quick as pay
passenger, but | get there just the same.
I've had some rough experiences. Been put
off IN snow and ice, where there wasn't a
house around for miles, but | caught on
again. You see. many of the railroaders
know me, and many times they've made me
jump from a train without Stacking 'er up.
The most thrilling experience | ever had
was on train on the Pennsylvania railroad,
going between Johnstown and Altoona over
the mountains. | boarded her at Johns
town, and, as bad luck would have it, the
conductor spied me on the platform before
we'd gone many miles. You see, sometimes
the conductors don't go through the train
between these two stations, as they don't
make any stops, and fellow has a chance
to steal through. But this time was caught.
knew I'd be put off right in the centre
of the Allegheny Mountains, and the thought
of it chilled me. The night was dark, so
dark that you couldn't see your hand before
your face, | looked around, thinking |
could hide myself, but that was out of the
question. | was standing on the last step
and happened to look around the corner of
the car The window next to where | stood
was open, and hit on bold plan. Whew,
it makes me shiver to think of it, and |
never want to go through the likes again,
not for ali the railroads in the United
States
''Well, sir, when | saw the conductor
come from the other end of the car | swung
around to the side, caught hold of the win
dow sash and hung there. Just then the
conductor opened the door, expecting to find
me on the platform. He felt for me in the
darkness, suppose, but he never dreamed
to look for me on the side of a car He
went on into the next car. My arms were
growing tired, and | was glad to get back
on the platform again. To my great horror,
however, | couldn't reach the sters again.
Terror seized me. | knew | couldn't hold
on another minute. would have to drop
and be mangled under the wheels. | yelled
| as loud as | could, but that was useless; no
one could hear.
81 thought | was lost, and / made up my
mind to that, when | heard the whistle of a
| train on the other track | could hear her
| come laundering along. If dropped then
knew | would fall on the track on which the
weStbound train was to pass and be ground
to pieces / held on like grim death. The
| glare of the headlight shone upon me. |
| telt the strong current of air from the pass
ing train. | also felt my grasp relaxing,
and that was the last | knew. [ had
dropped right between the two trains be-
tween the two tracks and never was
| touched The engineer of the west bound
train had seen me by the light from the
| locomotive clinging to my perilous position
| and saw me drop. He ran back for me,
| picked me up and brought me to Johns
| town again. 1t was a miracle, of course,
| that escaped death I've been on top of
cars nearly frozen, rode along for sixty
miles on truck of car, but never had
! such rough experience before and never
| want to again.
"And say, young man., he continued. eff
| you ever go travelling like me, avoid steam
ships | went as a stowaway one time and
| I'll tell you what happened. After three
| days out at sea | was discovered. The cap
| tain said to me: Young man you'll have to
| paint for nine days At the end of that
time we reached port, and, instead of being
allowed to land, was placed in irons and
kept there until we left, when | was liber-
ated and set to work again all the way to
New York, where they allowed me to go.
| never went to sea again. Railroads are
good enough for me-"